Fall Color Palette

At this time of year, as we see leaves changing color and falling to the ground, we often think that "fall colors" implies red, orange, yellow and brown. We see these colors everywhere in "fall" decorating schemes from the supermarket to the department store. And, what's wrong with that? Absolutely nothing!  But, here's a take on adding some splash to a fall palette. Purple and bright green add pop to the traditional autumn tones, as seen here in this bride's bouquet and matching boutonniere.

Get the Mo$t for your Flower Dollar

At bloom boxx, we highly recommend taking advantage of "do it yourself" bouquets at the supermarket floral department.  In our area, Shop Rite regularly offers "3 for $10" bunches of flowers.  You get to choose whatever 3 bunches you want from the assortment.  It's truly a great bargain.

Remember when choosing your bouquets to pick fresh flowers.  The blooms should be open, but not fully open.  When you touch the blooms (gently!), they should feel firm, and petals should not fall off.  Foliage on the stems should look fresh and green, not brown.  And, be sure there is no mold.

When you get your flowers home, you should "condition" your flowers before arranging them.  Put tepid water in a bucket - think warm, but not "hot" - the temperature you would use to bathe an infant.  Many pre-bundled flower bunches at the supermarket include those little packets of flower food attached to the bunch with a rubber band.  Use it!  The powder is specifically designed for flowers.  It's a combination of anti-bacterial that keeps water clean and food to literally feed your flowers.  If you don't have any flower food powder, don't sweat it.  Remove all leaves from the flower stems that would be under water when in the vase.  Also remove any outer petals that are bruised or brown.  Then, give your flowers a sharp, quick cut with a knife or floral shears and put them immediately into the tepid water.  Let your flowers soak up a fresh drink for at least an hour.

When it's time to arrange your flowers in the container you have chosen, use room temperature water.  Again, use flower food powder if you have it.  If not, put just a few drops of regular bleach in the water.  This helps keep any bacteria from forming, keeping the water clear.  Again, make a quick fresh cut on the stems and place immediately into the vase.

In the pictures you see here, 8 bunches of flowers were purchased.  Working in soft pink and white tones, the task was to make 2 small arrangements to be placed on the table at a small family dinner party celebrating the birthday of an aunt.  After making the 2 arrangements, there were a few stems and cuttings left over.  We found a bud vase in the cupboard, and used the leftovers to make a small arrangement that was placed in the bathroom.  A bonus bouquet!  Total cost was less than $30 - using containers that were already in the house.  Furthermore, there are 3 lovely little flower arrangements that can be sent home with the birthday girl, or any other guests, as gifts.

Pick fresh bundles, condition them, and use any leftover "scraps" - getting the most for your flower dollar!

giving credit where credit is due

Immersed in the new issue of Brides Magazine, I of course get most excited about the decorating and floral features.  Nothing was less than gorgeous in the lengthy spread of flower inspirations that was broken down into color schemes.  Superb designs, kudos to all those lucky featured floral designers.

That said, when I got to the "green" and "green blue" collections, my mouth just dropped.  Gorgeous doesn't begin to describe the flowers designed by Ovando NYC.  The bouquets and arrangements were elegant, understated, perfectly balanced, and pleasing to the eye - design technique perfected.  At the same time, they were progressive, thoughtful, artistic, super chic.... definitely "out of the box".  I am third generation in a family that's been in the flower business since the 1920's, and these flowers may be the most impressive I've ever seen.  I highly recommend you peruse the latest issues of Brides.  And you should also see Ovando's web site: http://ovandony.com/

The 2 photos featured here are not from the Brides feature, but they will give you just a glimpse of the skill and artistry mastered by Ovando designers.  Given that bloom boxx serves NJ and NY, one might think I'm crazy to promote "the competition".  To hell with that, I say give credit where credit is due.  I know good flowers when I see them, and my hat's off to Ovando.  Wow.

Elegant, beautiful, and FREE

Like Dorothy said after her journey to Oz:  "... if I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard...."

Well, when your heart desires some pretty blooms or foliage, your own yard is a great place to start!  You can achieve a fabulous arrangement that's chic, simple, gorgeous, and FREE!  For example, just look at these few branches from a Krauter Vesuvius Plum Tree.  My good friends, Laura and Mike, were trimming (as in clipping, not decorating) the plum tree that flanks their front porch and were kind enough to offer me some of the cuttings.  Simply arranged in a vase of water, look how stunning!  And, branches such as these make it easy to achieve a sizable arrangement.  What's more, foliage branches typically last several weeks.  Just be sure to remove any leaves that will be below the water line, give the stems a fresh cut right before putting them into the water, and refresh that water every few days.

Flowers of the United States

On this Independence Day, 2009, as we celebrate our nation and our freedom, it seems only appropriate to acknowledge some native American blooms.  Originally from Virginia and now a New Jersey resident, I want to take a look at the official flowers of these two states.

The American dogwood, cornus florida, is native to eastern North America.  They can be found in the region spanning from southern Maine to northern Florida, and west to the eastern portions of Texas up to southern Ontario.  The actual flowers are the very small clusters of greenish-yellow petals in the centers, surrounded by the larger more visible "bracts" which are typically white.  Some American dogwoods have pink bracts, and a few have red ones.  The dogwood was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, who grew them on his Virginia estate, Monticello, in the 1770's.  But it wasn't until 1918 that Virginia lawmakers named the dogwood as the official state flower.

The common meadow violet, viola cucullata, is also referred to as the purple violet or blue violet.  It is native to eastern North America from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, south to Georgia.  The violet's five-petaled flowers are typically "violet" in color, a blue-purple tone, though sometimes they are white.  An interesting and unique fact about the meadow violet is that after flowering, the plant then produces a second set of blooms.  This second set consists of small, closed flowers that look like buds.  The violet's seeds are produced from these buds.  Prompted by garden clubs across the "garden state", the New Jersey State Legislature voted in 1971 to name the violet as the official state flower.  Wisconsin, Illinois, and Rhode Island also recognize the violet as the official state flower.

Have a terrific holiday weekend, everyone.  Be thankful that we live a great nation that prizes freedom.  And, wherever you may be celebrating, to quote an old phrase - be sure to "stop and smell the flowers". 

In Defense of the Carnation

At bloom boxx, we are and always been fans of the carnation.  Carnations are hearty.  They're fragrant.  They last a long time.  They're available in countless colors.  They're naturally fluffy and beautiful in their own right.  They're inexpensive.  And any floral designer can tell you that they're easy to work with.

But the carnation, while remaining a staple of the floral industry, has fallen out of favor for the past several years.  Along with baby's breath and mums, carnations have been considered passe.  Perhaps over-popularized by supermarket floral shops and wire services such as FTD, carnations came to be considered common, boring, and certainly not fabulous.  It's really unfair considering that the worst things someone can say about a carnation is that it's too popular and inexpensive.

Maybe it's a sign of the economy.  Maybe it's a result of a "retro" trend.  Probably a little of both, but it seems that the carnation is at long last poised for a comeback into good graces with the general flower buying public.  And at bloom boxx we couldn't be more thrilled.

Let's sidestep for a moment and look at culinary comparisons.  There was a time not long ago when a sophisticated consumer would roll their eyes at the very thought of ordering macaroni and cheese.  That's food for kids that comes in a box.  You can find mac and cheese in giant trays under heat lamps at buffets across the country.  The savvy diner wouldn't be caught dead with it on their plate.  My how times have changed.  Mac and cheese, in various iterations, is popping up on fine dining menus everywhere, and sometimes at a hefty price.   In Manhattan's East Village, there's now a restaurant that specializes specifically in macaroni and cheese.  And, let's talk for a moment about hamburgers.  Again, a staple comfort food item that some considered cheap, common, and not fabulous.  Now, fine chefs are using superior cuts of beef, adding gourmet ingredients and charging plenty of $$ for... a burger.  And, if you've attended a wedding or catered event lately, you've noticed that "mini burgers" have become the new crab cake.  They're the new "must have" passed food item at any catered party.

So back to the carnation.  Earlier this week, we had decided to blog about the carnation today. We are on the email list from Martha Stewart Weddings.  Every day, we receive an email - the "weddings idea of the day".  To our surprise and delight, this morning's email from Martha Stewart is entitled "Carnation Chic" and the tag line is "Long used as inexpensive filler, carnations have a chic style all their own when clustered in modern, minimalist vases."  We knew this all along.  See our white collection at http://bloomboxx.com/  But you don't have to take our word that carnations are fabulous in their own right because the goddess of all style herself has declared it so, just this morning.  Hooray!!

Wedding Flowers - beautiful doesn't have to be costly

We would argue that at least part of the "silver lining" that can be found behind our nation's current dark economic cloud is a new sense of consumer responsibility.  Even those of us who are fortunate enough to still have our jobs are taking pause, and wisely so, before spending money - be it a meal at a restaurant, a pair of theater tickets, or a new car.  Sure, to a degree, the crash of the economy has forced a reduction in spending.  But, I think that deep down we all know that excess splurging and running up the credit card really wasn't a good idea, even when the economy was strong.

It is with pride that we announce the launch of bloom boxx.  We appeal to the tasteful bride who desires beautiful, quality flowers for her wedding without spending a fortune.  bloom boxx provides professionally designed, made-to-order fresh flowers for weddings and events at sensible prices.  By minimizing consultation, keeping selections elegant yet simple, and eliminating production services, we are able to live up to our goal and provide a true value for your money.  Please visit our web site to see our beautiful flowers and learn more:  www.bloomboxx.com

We're also excited to get our "bloom blogg" on the web.  Soon we'll be posting items that we hope our readers will find informative and entertaining.  Information about flowers, trends, decorating tips, wedding planning advice - these are the kinds of things that bloom boxx will share with you here on the "bloom blogg".  Thank you for visiting.  Have a terrific day.